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Great job! I really like your shirt. Eric

I used to stay downtown back in the early '80s, and walked to the Strip many times. Of course, 25-30 years ago things were quite different. It's a nice, long walk and a good way to get some exercise. Would I do it today? Probably...not. Eric

Our UPS drivers here in SoCal should dress like that, since some of them drive like that... Looks like you had a good time. It's been four years since my last real trip to Vegas (I don't count my stopover at McCarran Airport in 2008 as a visit). Eric

SFMM has Ninja (suspended), Batman The Ride (inverted), Deja Vu (inverted), and Tatsu (flyer). I've yet to hear one guest get them mixed up. True, they're different enough, but an SLC and B&M inverted are different enough, too, so I think this will work out OK. Eric

^ I would guess that you might be sent an occasional e-offer, like a free device rental, upgrade to Gold, or something like that. Eric

^^ I thought the same thing, but during the off-season (which technically it is), I am never surprised that they're doing maintenance or rehab to any equipment. On that note, I did notice that the sound was goofed up on Terminator's train. They were running Train 1, and just as we were passing through the storage shed after the last brake, we heard, "HERE THEY COME!!!" just as if we were topping the lift. So something wasn't right somewhere. Eric

Today I took a very unplanned, last minute trip out to SFMM. Here's the scoop: One-train operation on X2 kept the line at two hours (so said an employee), so I didn't ride it. Revolution was a walk-on for the back seat with two-train operation. Viper ran two-trains and I waited about two trains for the back seat. Tatsu was about 15 minutes with two-train operation. Terminator was about an hour with one train running. Scream! ran two trains, so I waited about five minutes. Goliath was running two trains, so I waited about 15 minutes for the front seat. Riddler's Revenge ran two trains, and I waited about 15 minutes for the very back row. No more progress on Mr. Six's Dance Coaster, but I don't expect anything too soon. That should go up quickly. Batman, Deja Vu, Ninja, and Superman were closed. Gold Rusher was running two trains, but I skipped it. Ditto for Colossus. So there ya go. Eric

New high def TV in our bedroom. Eric

My car hasn't moved even an inch today. Eric

I can't even imagine how powerful an 8.8 is. I was a kid in 94 and remember how powerful Northridge was and that was only a 6.8." (AllenA07) At the time of the Northridge quake, I remember hearing experts in the seismological field say that had that quake lasted longer, it would have been rated higher than the 6.8 that it was. In other words, the amount of shaking we felt that day would be about the same as, say, an 8.2, but would have lasted much longer in terms of time. Eric

Funny...just the other night Diana and I were talking about SFMM and she swears that I rode this (when it was the Wile E. Coyote Coaster) with her some years back. I have ridden every coaster that SFMM has ever had, with this one being the lone exception. Even though I'm "too tall" for it in the park's eyes, it does look like I could squeeze into one of the lap bars if I was desperate for the credit---which I'm not. I did ride the Timberline Twister at Knott's with Diana back about 1994---and that ride is made by Bradley and Kaye, just like this one. But she still swears it was at SFMM. Nice to see Kristen with her first Six Flags season pass. Eric

^ Dressed all purply in her avatar. < Dressed like a warthog in his avatar. V Dressed to scare children in his avatar!

I went to Scandia about 1997 and had a good time there. Honestly, I was impressed with the Scandia Screamer, and got a kick out of the little signs you can see on the structure. The ride reminds me of a giant Hi-Miler. Just a minor note, but it appears that they took one car off of the train; I remember the trains having six cars. Eric

^^ They would weigh about 1/6 of what they do here on earth, and only kill about 16% of the humans. Maybe they're better off on the moon. Eric

"Murder" is the intentional killing of an innocent being. Therefore, when we execute criminals who are found guilty of murder in a court of law, we are not murdering them as death penalty opponents claim. Animals do not murder anyone, as they don't have the thought process to do so. Their instinct is to kill for food or to kill when threatened. In this story that I found on Yahoo! News, apparently this particular whale has been involved in previous incidents. How many times has anyone played with a cat or dog that is normally calm, only to have it suddenly strike? Sometimes a certain movement implies a threat---in nature you just never know. Unfortunately, this trainer was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eric

Nice report, Natalie. I got a kick out of your rant about "asaurus" being added to stuff. However, I have to admit that I'm guilty of doing that in real life---when my daughter was young, I'd tease her and call her "Diana-saurus." When I see someone do something really stupid, I'll call them a "Failasaurus Rex." And so on... I've only been to Legoland once (shame on me because it's fairly close). And I've been to San Diego about four times in the last year without stopping there. Next time I'm down that way, I'll make sure to make use of the Cannon Dr. exit from I-5. Eric

Went to one of my favorite sites earlier and got this message: G'day Eric! Now you know how to greet people in Australian! So I wanted to add: Get OOT! Now you know how to kick someone out in Canadian! Eric

^ On that note, maybe Disney will tear out Innoventions so they can put Carousel of Progress back. Eric

^ I like to know the details about cameras, cars, and various technical stuff, and now that I know the make and model of your camera, I can check it out on my own. Thanks for filling me in. Eric

OK, I saw it...very clever. Eric

Looks like all of you had a great time. Thanks for sharing. Now for the obligatory question: what kind of camera do you have? I don't recall seeing its brand or specs in your report. Eric

^ Can't figure out a game. < Can create a baby---and did once. V Can create a traffic jam---and does it all the time!

^^ I know you were asking Gerd, but I got to sit in one of those back in December at the L.A. Auto Show. Very interesting car. It'd be fun to take one out for a drive. So Porsche has their coupes, an SUV, and now a sedan. When is their pickup truck and minivan coming out? Eric

^ I get that all the time, and, BIG SURPRISE, my answer is, "You're right---it's none of your business." Eric

I've already been a few times this year. Are these offers e-mailed to you? If so, I haven't seen anything yet. Eric